Compliance Management

Sudan Removed from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

Sudan was removed from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism on December 14, 2020. The country had been on that list since August 12, 1993. In addition to clearing the way for political and financial normalization, the rescission of Sudan's State Sponsors of Terrorism designation means that its

Exchange Visitor Program Guidance Directive 2020-01 - Confucius Institutes

On November 18, 2020, the Department of State's (DOS) Exchange Visitor Program (BridgeUSA) issued Guidance Directive 2020-01, Exchange Visitor Program - Confucius Institutes, which provides guidance on the relationship of college and university J-1 exchange programs to Confucius Institutes and

France Visa Updates – Study Abroad in 2021

November 13, 2020

Get the latest updates from members of NAFSA’s Consular Affairs Liaison subcommittee as you plan for 2021 programs including VFS Global processes, documentation required by the consulate, and of the French government. Please note all persons entering France must present a negative COVID PCR test

J Change of Category During The COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, the Department of State Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) began regularly approving other category changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, the ISS RP Exchange Visitor Program Subcommittee developed a quick review guide of the regulatory basis, sources of authority and

Recent Employment-Based Changes and Proposals

The final quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 saw a number of rule making initiatives by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL), related to the H-1B specialty occupation category and to a certain extent the PERM labor certification process. This page

The Use of Alternative Wage Surveys in Prevailing Wage Determinations

On October 8, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) published an interim final rule that changed how DOL computes wage rates when using Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) wage data to make a National Prevailing Wage Center (NPWC) prevailing wage determination or to certify an LCA that relies on

ICE OPT Enforcement Actions

"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Wednesday preliminary results from Operation OPTical Illusion, a law enforcement operation targeting nonimmigrant students who fraudulently used the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program to remain in the United States... The operation

DOL Interim Final Rule on OES and Prevailing Wage Determinations

On D ecember 1, 2020, the October 8, 2020 DOL interim final rule was set aside by a U.S. District Court, and is no longer in effect. Related recent updates On January 14, 2021, DOL published a final rule titled Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain

IssueNet Quarterly Summary - Fall 2020

IssueNet Quarterly Summary - Fall 2020 Highlighting the top issues reported through NAFSA IssueNet. Prepared by Cory Owen, Chair, Student Subcommittee, International Student and Scholar Regulatory Practice (ISS RP) Committee. Top Issues Impact of COVID-19: Additional work for DSO needing to add

Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act Authorizes Expanded Premium Processing

Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act Updates Rulemaking. A final rule titled Implementation of the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act was published in the Federal Register at 87 FR 18227 (March 30, 2022). The rule goes into effect on May 31, 2022, but premium processing for newly